The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says the mortality rate of the coronavirus pandemic is low in Nigeria when compared to other countries with similar climatic characteristics, due to the age bracket of most of those infected by the virus.

Chairman of the task force and Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, gave the indication after he led his team to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the progress of the national response to the pandemic at the presidential villa, Abuja on Monday.

Mr. Mustapha who addressed journalists after the meeting said 80% of the infections were in the age bracket of 31 to 40 years, which he described as a very active part of the population. 

According to the SGF, even when those youths are infected, they are able to surmount it because of their level of energy. 

He added that the PTF was worried about the remaining 20% as he said nobody knows who may become victim among them. 

The task force chairman said everything was being done to protect the vulnerable such as the elderly and those with underlying illnesses.

Stating that government may introduce precision lockdown for pinpoint management of coronavirus hotspots, Mustapha said, 18 out of the 774 local governments in the country have been identified as responsible for 60% of the confirmed cases in the country.

He added that the reason for the precision lockdown will be to place specific measures in certain places especially by state governments to enable aggressive testing for the disease and management.